Big thanks going out to...

• Our School Social Workers Kat Beyer and Cassie Farrell for all their hard work with our students and families
• Guest musician Rodney Page from Michigan who worked with and performed for our orchestra students
• All those who have contributed to recent fundrasiers (check out the impressive totals below)
• Our elementary teachers who facilitated and supervised a fun, hands-on trip to the Buffalo Science Museum

We are excited to introduce Mara Marsh to our #fredoniafamily! Mara is a Public Relations intern from SUNY Fredonia who is working with the District Office on our communication efforts. She will be working on our social media feeds, website, and district newsletter, and has already done a great job putting together this week's Smore. Mara will be working with us until she graduates in May, and we are thrilled to have her.

Please welcome Mara to the district!

Happy National School Social Worker Week! This week, we celebrate our social workers Kat Beyer and Cassie Farrell for the important work they do every day for our students. Not only do school social workers support the mental health of our students, but they advocate for students and their families by making connections within the community and beyond to best serve the whole family.

The School Social Work Association of America says,

"The theme for National School Social Work Week 2023 is “We Rise.” During the school year, School Social Workers are confronted with challenges, heightened anxieties, and anticipated difficulties. However, School Social Workers face these challenges with strength and resilience. School Social Workers rise up - supporting their students, families, and school communities. School Social Workers rise to share hope. They rise to listen and understand. They rise to challenge inequities. They rise to support all students."

Thank you, Kat & Cassie!

Fredonia High School is celebrating 50 years of musicals this year and will present the musical comedy CRAZY FOR YOU on March 17, 18, 24 & 25 at 7:30pm in the District Auditorium. All tickets are $10. Reserved tickets are available at fredoniamusical.com with any remaining tickets sold at the door.

CRAZY FOR YOU is an award-winning musical comedy featuring the music of George and Ira Gershwin. It is about a New York City banker who goes to the Old West town of Deadrock, Nevada to close on a theater but he falls in love with theater owner's daughter. The musical is filled with funny characters and situations and features, dazzling dance numbers and classic Gershwin music including "Someone to Watch Over Me," "I Got Rhythm," "Nice Work if You Can Get It," "They Can't Take That Away From Me" and many more.

Approximately 100 Fredonia students are involved in this production between the cast, pit orchestra and backstage crew. Principal cast members include Ryan Davis (Bobby Child), Ava Hartung (Polly Baker), Jack Tuccio (Bela Zangler), Caitlyn Clary (Irene Roth), Andrew Cowan (Lank Hawkins), Draejen Hicks (Everett Baker), Miriam LaBarr (Lottie Child), Gianna Gullo (Tess), Katherine Fortna (Patsy), Ezra Daly-Griffen (Eugene Fodor) & Julia LeBaron (Patricia Fodor).

Any questions, please contact Ben Wendell (Director): 716-679-1581, ext. 1455 or bwendell@fcsd.wnyric.org

Did you know FCSD has an in-house food pantry?

We serve FCSD students of all grade levels and their families who may need a little extra assistance with groceries and pantry staples. Any student or family member can reach out to an adult and pick up items from the pantry. They can also fill out the form linked here to request specific items, and even take advantage of delivery of these items.

We also offer a Backpack Program which sends items home with students in a backpack on Friday afternoons for the weekend.

The Fredonia High School Tri-M Music Honor Society raised $1,461 for PUNT Pediatric Cancer Collaborative! PUNT is an organization that helps families who are facing the emotional and financial burden of pediatric cancer. We are sincerely thankful for all who helped! Your donations and commitment to this incredibly important and valuable charity is greatly appreciated.

Our middle school orchestra members had an amazing time with our guest artist Rodney Page.

Rodney Page is a classically trained violinist and Julliard trained Orchestral Conductor. He bridges the gap between classical and pop/hip-hop music. He plays hip-hop and electric violin, beatboxes, and is the former DJ for the Detroit Pistons. We were so excited to have him join us this year from Michigan, and incredibly thankful for the amazing opportunity for our student musicians!

Congrats to our boys varsity basketball team for advancing to the semi-finals, playing Newfane on Thursday at Buffalo State College at 7:45 PM. Tickets must be purchased online & cost $7.00 each. Buy tickets via the link below!

Wheelock and our elementary school recently celebrated the 100th day of school! The day was filled with fun crafts and activities to celebrate 100 days of learning. Kindergarteners in Mrs. Rush and Mrs. Padua's class had a blast creating crafts and dressing up!

Congrats to our first place winner Claire McMurty D'Amato and our runner up Adalyn (Addie) Stellrecht at this years Spelling Bee!

We had 13 total contestants and moved through a total of eight rounds. The final two contestants went back and forth for two rounds to end with Claire as the winner. They have both been entered in the next round at Corning Middle School!

Some of our middle and high school students participated in Ski Club this year at Peek n Peak. Lots of kids were able to try skiing for the first time, and they loved it!

A special thanks to the advisors, Megan Czekanski, Kristin Tomaszewski, and Liz Wronski, as well as the equipment drivers, Christine Cruz-Keefe and Christin Kingsbury, for all their hard work on making this season a success.

Laura Depue and Steven Romans took 12 students from FHS on a trip to the Chautauqua Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to learn more about jobs and careers within this facility. The students were given a tour, and they learned about opportunities in Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), dietary, nursing, maintenance, and some activities with the residents! Students also learned about the center's CNA (certified nursing assistants) training and opportunities to receive free college tuition for specific careers in nursing.

Congrats to both our Varsity Girls and Boys Bowling teams for taking second place at their Section VI tournaments. We are so proud of all you!

The results are in...last fall's Feed Fredonia Challenge was a huge success! Each school at FCSD participated in the drive, and together we gathered an impressive amount of donations. Thanks to everyone for your donations, support, and generosity!

Wheelock: 155.9lbs

ES/MS/HS: 548.6lbs

Total: 704.5lbs

Our adorable new therapy dog Millie had the chance to visit some students. She truly is working hard to make everyone feel better! It definitely looks like a ruff job...

For Valentine's Day, Miss Thie's third graders learned how to write love stories … between foods that often go together! Here are some of their creative stories!

Some of our elementary students recently visited the Buffalo Science Museum and had a great time learning about the physical sciences. There were so many fun, hands-on activities for the kids to interact with. We love seeing our kids actively making science happen!

Mrs. Noody’s ceramics classes participated in the First Annual Magnet Exchange, which was inspired by a ceramic cup exchange at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference. This year’s theme was called “home” and was loosely based on the State/City/Town where you are from. It was an amazing opportunity for our ceramic students to connect with other ceramic students across the country!

Students each sketched ideas for the theme “home” and presented them to their class. Each class voted, and the top designs made it to the prototype round. The winning design was the awesome grape magnet in the picture above! Students worked in groups to build, fire, glaze, and refire their clay pieces. After firing, magnets were glued to the backs and an informational card was created. These were packaged and shipped off to the host school.

Our magnet, along with the exchanged magnets we received from around the country, are displayed in the high school art hallway. Take a look!

The Fredonia Central School District welcomes our Fredonia families to register their children for UPK and/or Kindergarten for the 2023-23 school year. Registration for pre-kindergarten children who will turn 4 years old on or before December 1, 2023 and registration for kindergarten children who will turn 5 years old on or before December 1, 2023 is currently in progress.

Kindergarten and pre-kindergarten registration are critical pieces of the school enrollment process. The pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms will continue to be held at Wheelock Early Childhood Center next year. Please call the Wheelock School office to enroll your child in either UPK or Kindergarten and request a registration packet. We plan on offering a full-day UPK program for all students next year, as well as an optional half-day am classroom.

Parents and/or guardians will need to provide us with several important items when registering their child: proof of residency such as a utility bill or rent receipt, a birth certificate or other legal evidence of your child’s age, your child’s immunization record, and the completed pre-kindergarten or kindergarten packet forms and materials.

Please contact the Wheelock Office by April 1 at 679-1581, ex 2800 to request a

registration packet for either Universal Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten.